And benjamin f



` UNITED STATES PA'TEixiT OFFICE?.

WILLIAM L. DAVIS,.OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AND BENJAMIN F. LEAOH, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING THE REFILLING OF BOTTLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,777, dated October 23, 1894.

Application filed April 19, 18,93. Serial No. 470,992. (No model.)

'I his invention relates to a device or stop-k per for preventing the refilling of bottles and like vessels, and is especially adapted to be used in bottles containing superior grades of liquors, colognes, extracts and like liquids.

Prior to this invention, we are aware that devices have beenmade for the purpose speciied, but such devices have been unsatisfactory on account of not Working under all conditions, and also on account of the expense required to equip the bottles with the same.

Itis the object of this invention, to provide a simple andinexpensive device, vwhich will work under all conditions and will prevent the bottle being filled, no matter at what angle the bottle may be held, or whether the bottle is immersed in the liquor orthe latter is being forced into the bottle.

In accordance with this invention, a shell or casing provided with ports or outlets at or near its opposite ends, contains within it a valve, which may and preferably will be made in the form of a disk, and which, for the best results, is hinged or permanently attached to the said casing or shell on its inner side, the said valve cooperating with a valve seat on the inner side of the casing or shell to close one port or opening of the said casing or shell. Thecasing or shell has one end made conical or inclined on its inner side, and within the conical portion of the shell or casing is located a weight preferably a ball,

'which co-operates with the valve to close the same when the bottle is held in various positions or angles, as will be described. The conical portion of the shell o'r casing, at its discharge or outlet end, may and preferably will be made of substantially the samearea as the diameter of the ball, and to 'permit of a free discharge of the liquor when the botor stopping device, attached to the casing or= shell andv extended into the same so as to arrest the weight or ball and prevent it closing the outlet port ofthe conical portion of the case or shell. The conical portion of the shell is provided on its inner side with a shoulder or ridge for a purpose as will be described.l

The case or shell referred to, is composed of a lower portion,and an upper portion having an inclined inner surface and attached at its base to the lower portion, the parts -being capable of being constructed of sufficiently small diameter to enable the entire device to be located within the neck of the bottle below the usual cork orstopper, and it may be held in place by a cork or other jacket, the neck of the bottle being contracted to form an opening of less diameter than the mouth of the bottle for a purpose as will be described. These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure l, isa vertical section of a sufficient portionV of a bottle provided with a device or stopper embodying this invention, to enable it to be understood, the bottle being shown in its normal or vertical position and as filled with liquor. Fig. 2, represents the bottle shown in Fig. 1, as tipped or inclined from a horizontal position. Fig. 3, represents the bottle shownin Fig. 1 as inverted and immersed in liquor; Fig. 4, a side elevation on van enlarged scale of the stopper or device removed from its jacket, and Fig. 5', a sectional detail on an enlarged scale of the device in a horizontal position.

The vessel A, herein represented .as a bottle such as commonly used to contain spirituous and other liquors, may be of any usual or desired construction, it being usually made of glass. The bottle A in the present instance is shown as provided with a substantially long neck a and with the usual cork or stopper a. The neck a of the bottle has 1ocated in it below the cork ct', a device or auxiliary -stopper constructed to permit of the free ldischarge of the contents of the bottle,

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and to prevent liquor bei-ng admitted into the bottle after the said device or auxiliary Stopper has been inserted into the bottle.

The device or auxiliary stopper referred to, is preferably constructed as herein shown, and consists of a shell or casing A,which, for the best results, is made in two parts a2 as detachably connected together as will be described. The part a2 of the casing or shell may be made cylindrical, as herein shown, and will be hereinafter referred to as the lower part and is provided on its inner side with an annular ring f1.5 forming a port or opening 10 and which, forsimplicity of construction, is preferably made separate from the part a3 and secured thereto by forcing the ring a5 onto the part a2 and preferably against a fiange or projection a6 forming part of the cylinder a2. The part a3 of 4the shell 0r casing which will hereinafter be referred to as the upper part is preferably made cylindrical at its base or lower portion as at 2, and its upper portion is made substantially conical or tapering in forni, the portion 2 of the part a3 of the said shell being provided as shown, with a projection or pin a,q adapted to engage a right angled cut or slot 0.8 in the part a2, to form a bayonet joint or locking device by which the parts a2 a3 may be se-` curely but detachably fastened together' the conical portion of the case or shell being thus secured or attached to the lower portion at the base of the cone.

The shell or casing, in accordance with our invention, contains within it a valve b preferably a flat or disk valve designed to cooperate with and close the port opening 10, the said valve in the present instance being represented as made of two parts 4, 5. The part 4 may be of metal and hinged or pivotally connected to the ring a5, as at G, and the part 5 may be of cork, which is secured to the part 4 in any desired manner. The shell or casing also contains Within it a movable weight shown as a ball b3, which co-opcrates with the valve l), as will be described. The upper portion of the `part a3 is provided with a liquid outlet or port c and as herein shown, the said outlet is protected by a cap c attached to the conical part a3 of the shell or casing by webs or pieces c2 herein shown as substantially diametrically opposite, the said websand cap being preferably made in one piece with the part a3, and of substantially little thickness, so that the cap will become detached from the part a3, when pulled upon with substantially little force. The ball or weight b3 is arrested in its movement toward the outlet of the conical part a3 by a stop c4, shown as a pin or rod secured to the cap c and extended into the conical part a3 below or beyond the outlet c, but if desired, the pin or rod may be extended into the conical part through its side. The conical part a3 may be provided near its discharge or outlet end withl one o r more auxiliary outlets or ports c6. The conical part a3 on its inner side is provided with an annular' shoulder or ridge d, which may be formed as herein represented by making the bottom or lower portion of the conical part a3 on its inner side, of greater diam` eter than the upper portion, so that the device or auxiliary stopper must be turned beyond a horizontal position so as to obtain a substantially great incline ot' the device, before the ball will roll over the said shoulder or ridge, for a purpose as will be described.

The shell or case and its attached cap are made of less diameter than the mouth of the bottle so that it may be inserted intothe neck of the bottle or other vessel, a sufficient distance below its mouth to permit the bottle to be closed by the cork d. The case or shell is held in place in the neck of the bottle by means of a jacket d of cork or other material, which is forced into the neck of the bottle by means of a hollow plunger or suitable instrument, and the said jacket is made to lit tight within the neck of thebottle so as to require a greater power to Withdraw it than `can be obtained with an instrument capable of being inserted into the neck of the bottle to grasp any exposed part of the casing A', and in order to prevent the device being forced into the bottle, the diameter or interior of the neck portion of the bottle is contracted as' at cl3, to form an opening of less diameter than the mouth of the bottle, and which opening is not suliiciently wide to permit the shell to pass therethrough if it should be attempted to force the shell through thejacket. The cap c will preferably be made'of substantially large diameter to prevent the insertion, between it and the neck of the bottle, of wires of'snicient strength and size to do any harm to the device and by reason of the fact that the said cap is secured to the conical part of the casing A by the thin webs c2, a slight power applied to the cap, as by an instrument inserted into the neck of the bottle, will detach the cap, thereby rendering it plainly evidentthat the device was being tampered with. When power is applied to the cap c as described, the said cap will be broken off from the webs c2 because the casing A is secured so tightly or firmly in the neck of the bottle by the jacket d' as to preventits being removed except by digging the cork jacket out in small pieces, thereby destroying the entire device.

In practice, the parts a2 a3 are fitted together with the ball and valve in them and inserted into the jacket CZ', and after the bottle is filled, the jacket may be forced into place against the contracted portion cl3 `by means of a hollow plunger.

In the operation of the device, the valve b is closed by gravity assisted by the ball b3, when the bottle is standing upright or in its normal position, and when tipped, the liquor inthe bottle ows through the port opening l0 into the conical part a3, from which it may pass out through the outlet port or openingc and the auxiliary port openings c, into the neck of the bottle.

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' lie against the valve and hold the latter to its By an inspection of Fig. l, it will readilybe seen, that it would be impossible to pour liquor into the bottle when the latter is in a vertical position, and it` the bottle should be laid down fiat in a horizontal position, liquor could not be forced or flowed into the bottle, by reason of the valve being held closed by the ball, which in the horizontal-position of the bottle is caused to lie against the valve by the in clined inner portion of the conical part a3. If thebottle is turned from a horizontal position'into an inclined position, the ball will seat, until the inclination is made sufficienti y great to overcome the taper or inclination of the part a3 below the shoulder or ridge d, and

when the inclination of the bottle is suttif .bottles or other vessels, consisting of a hollow cient to cause the ball to roll against the shoulder or ridge d, the check valve b is only slightly opened as s hown in Fig. 2, but at such time, the neck ofthe bottle is depressed below the point at which the bottle can be filled by flowing the liquor into it, owing to the formation of a Water seal or lock by which the air in the bottle is prevented from escaping. 1f pressure isused, the force of liquor will close the/valve. lIt' thebottle is turned sufficiently to cause the ball to pass over the ridge or shoulder and thereby permit the valve b to become Wide open, either by inclining it more than shown in Fig. 2 or by inverting it as shown in Fig. 3, the cap would prevent the introduction of any .tube or device by which the air might be withdrawn from the bottle. Furthermore, if tipped at a greater angle than that shown in Fig. 2, the valve when made of cork as herein represented would float and lift the valve to its seat, but by means of the cap attached to the shell and located at a considerable distance below the mouth of the bottle, the cork portion of the valve may be dispensed with and the said valve made of other suitable material, such as thin metal, as it would be impracticable to insert a wire or other device into the shell so as to reach the valve, owing to the fact that the auxiliary ports c may be made substantially small and located near the end of the shell so as to be protected by the cap, and on account of the narrow passage between the cap and the interior of the neck of the bottle. Furthermore, the auxiliary ports may be entirely omitted if desired and the open mouth or end of the conical part 0,3 may alone form the discharge or outlet for the shell.

While the device remains intact as shown in the drawings, the cap c is the only part which can be grasped or engaged by any instrument which may be inserted into the neck of the bottle, and if such an instrument should be inserted and power applied to withdraw the device, the cap would be pulled oft and would be thus detached from the casing, the absence of which from the bottle would serve to notify customersor other persons,

` that the bottlehad beentampered with. The removal of the cap does not diminish the remove the device by engaging the conical @part 2 lof the casing A', the power applied .would still be insufficient to removeY the delvice, for the reason that the jacket d holds the device tirmly and the said jacketis wedged A or forced, into the bottle with great pressure,

`and this when coupled with the expansive rc-'f action or movement of the jacket, preventsn it being removed by a force which can be applied through the substantially longneck ofl the bottle. 4 j p A We claimf l. A device for preventing the refilling of casing or shell composed of a lower portionshell, a weight or ball in said case or shell to to the lower portion,and a cap for the uppery portion insecurely attached to the said upper portion to permit the said cap to loedetached without effecting the withdrawal of the upper portion from the said jacket, substantially as described. y

2. A device for preventing the refilling of bottles or other vessels, consisting of a hollow 'case or shell composed of an upper part provided with an inclined or conical inner surface and a lower part attached to the base of the upper part, port openings at the opposite end of said hollowcase or shell, a valve in said-hollow case or shell co-operating with the port in one of said parts, a ball or weight to act on said valve, a cap supported above the conical part and insecurely attached to the said conical part, a stop or arresting de-V vice to engage the said ball and limit its movement'toward the end of the conical part, and a jacket encircling the said parts at the point of juncture and supporting the hollow case within the neck of a bottle below its mouth against force applied to the detachable cap, substantially as described.

3.V A device for preventing the refilling of bottles or other vessels, consisting of a hollow case or shell'having one end made conical on its-inner side and provided with a shoulder or ridge on the inner conical surface, port openings in the case or shell at or near its opposite ends, a ,valve to co-operate with one of said port openings, a ball or weight to act on said valve Vand arrested in its movement in one direction by the said shoulder or ridge, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. A device for preventing the refilling ot bottles or other vessels, consisting of a case o r shell having one end made conical or inclined on its inner surface and provided with port openings, a check valve in said case or having a port opening, and an upper portion y having an inclined inner surface attached at vits base to the lower portion and provided vwith a lport opening, a valve in said casing or `act on said valve, a jacket encircling the case ,or shell at the junction of the upper portion IOO IIO'

shell cmoperating wimhonc of `SaidPQIIMglSe i: a ball'or weighs` `to `npxsltxmlfllyhold Sdrmlwac to uitsseat, a -stopftoianrestfthc movemanitrof the bull yaway from these-idvalvc, ande cap f attached `te the shell., `the said shell `end cap e being madefof less diomeberftilmntihe.n eckfof the bottle topermitf ehe safmento-rbe insemtedfl into tlhe` said fneck -below :its monthyamd la. j ackeb forr said shelllto hold the fdevioelwilfhin l the neck of` thefbottle, substantially *as der:

= the betftvleasnppcnbed aboeve `the said apex,

5. ,A device Yfor pnevenliing'tlhe mefllililg` of =y bottles or` orher veseeis consisting-of! afcasefor shell composed of onerportion Provided withI a conical inner surface and a secon.dipmllion scribed.

attached to the conical portionfatfthcyibasesof the conicalpo-ntion,:pontfopeiri-ngs Jinnftzhcfsand case y or shell. :at its oppo sffeefemies-.diskveilfxle` in `said case coopenarcingwiith 'one orsiflz ports,.\a., bell-` `or weigh- Lieschen fsaidvailmmmf capdnsecunelyatmched to irhelecnicmlepomion,

of `t'lhe caseorfshclLrwnd aafjalcke encincling;

the lower; portion 'of the 'case er `Shell: sind" forming the l suppone: for 4(tithe. ssamm s-wlasta'n.hr tiallyfae described. l V6. A device Afor pmxrenr'ngthe `relllliim `oil? l bottles orothemzesselsfconsisbing Iefe` hollow case yor shell,` composed 'Ofic-.loner and e` clinically-shaped upped*partV a'detacilmbly secured at-itsbesesto th-c lower `,palmi c2 `end supported by the said flower; part, ra 4poni: opening in each of the said pem'tsge,.dislmrelvei` `in saidcase-or 41153111` conroliling one of` said ponts; a ball ovwj-ghlgin saidfleasecofopcmtngwith 'thefsaiddsk `valee-culd `a. jacket surrounding the lamer pontfipnfof themes@ `0r shell. substaln tlillly Tas descnibed- 7. Irma-dominion paramenti-ng the refilling c, 4el cepofiesswdiamccr `them `the mouth -of webs 07";joningfsaid--caplmltlmfconicalportiion tof1cawe=lafterfafl pont openingsfonmingo,con-

tinue-,tiem of ehefoultilet ,pont c, e 10mm-portion loff'thecasefor shell elmaohedwto the base of `the.conicalyupper: pontliomend pnovided with a. .POM owning. i a. l valve .ewQpemti-n fx1-edith` the said velrxnsnvwen'deY j ackensimmu ndifnghejcaee Mor shell et; ybhe Ju hotline ofthe. lower `po ntfion with 'the basef the conica-L upper Portion,

A substantially as` described,

Intestilmonywheneof we have signed our names tolthis-speci'cet-ion in `bhepresence-of two subscribing witnesses.

WFILLIAM L. DAVIS. BENJAMIN F. LEAGH.

Witnesses:

J As. H. CHURCHILL,` J. MURPHY. 

